New Zealanders are excluded from donating blood for many reasons, including sickness, a recent tattoo or not weighing enough. But the most controversial exclusion, which affects gay and bisexual men, is about to be scrapped.
Video / Alyse Wright / Jason Dorday
As far as good deeds go the Puliyodil family are golden, rolling up their sleeves every two weeks to donate much-needed plasma.
Plasma - the life-saving golden-coloured liquid component in blood - is in short supply and the Puliyodils of Auckland are passionate about boosting reserves.
Dad Mathew Puliyodil started the tradition back in Kuwait where as an ICU nurse, he saw a lot of blood given to patients in crisis.
“In my previous life I was a registered nurse and I saw many lives saved because of blood transfusions,” he said.
Auckland real estate agent Mathew Puliyodil said in his former job as an ICU nurse in Kuwait he saw the essential need for blood transfusions.
New Zealand is short of plasma collection targets by 12% weekly and demand continues to increase by over 10% year-on-year.
Currently in Aotearoa just 17,435 people are plasma donors. They donated 94,000 units of plasma last year but more donors are needed to keep up with demand.
Plasma is turned into 11 lifesaving treatments and used for more than 50 illnesses, as well as helping to treat burn victims, kidney and chemotherapy patients, people who’ve lost a lot of blood or have recently had major surgery.
It’s also used to boost the immune system of people who cannot make antibodies of their own.
“We call plasma liquid gold,” said Josh Bankers, acting chief executive at New Zealand Blood Service.
“It’s the gold we all carry with us in our blood, and for thousands of New Zealanders it can mean the difference between life and death.”
Dad Mathew Puliyodil, wife Sheeba and two of his three children, Alex (middle) and Ashley (right), all donate plasma.
Bankers wanted more people to understand what plasma is, why it’s so important and just how easy it is to donate.
More than 2100 plasma donations were needed every week to keep up with the current demand.
“We’re falling short by about 250 donations every week,” Bankers said.
“We’ve got an extremely loyal and active plasma donor database, but not everyone donates six times a year or more, so we are now at the point where we need to increase the number of people who donate plasma.”
To meet demand, the Blood Service needed 1500 more people to start donating plasma regularly.
A frozen bag of "liquid gold" plasma at the New Zealand Blood Service in Hamilton. Photo / Alan Gibson
“By 2026 we are projecting we will need around 28,000 plasma donors in total to keep up with growth in demand.”
At the moment New Zealand is self-reliant for plasma but if in the future the demand is not met, more plasma will need to be purchased on the global market.
Giving the gift of life:
NZ currently has a total of 117,000 blood, plasma and platelet donors on its panel.
Of that total panel only 17,435 are plasma donors.
Less than 4% of the eligible population are donors in New Zealand.
Every year around 30,000 people have their lives saved and improved by New Zealand donors.
You can donate plasma at New Zealand Blood Service Donor Centres in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.
To find a location to donate or book an appointment, download the NZ Blood App, visit nzblood.co.nz or call 0800 GIVE BLOOD (0800 448 325).
Kirsty Wynn is an Auckland-based journalist with more than 20 years’ experience in New Zealand newsrooms. She has covered everything from crime and social issues to the property market and consumer affairs.
